Improvement in grain-binders



I STATES l rrrcni.

PATENT IMPROVEMENT IN GRAIN-BINDERS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 42,322, dated April 12, 1864.

To all whom 'it may concern.-

-Be it known that I, SAMUEL J. WALL/ron, of Carthage, in the county ot' Hancock and State of Illinois, have invented a new and Improved Grain-Binder; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, in which- Figure lis a front elevation of my improved grain-binder attached to the draft or wheel frame of a reaping-machine, showing the several parts in their relative positions for receiving the sheaf of grain to be bound. Fig. 2 is a rear elevation, showing the same parts in their relative positions in the act ot' compressing and securing the band around the sheaf. Fgx, Sheet 2, is a perspective view of the reel detached from the binding apparatus, showing the curved arm and ,tooth for securing this reel to its axis for taking up the slack Y wire. Fig. 4, Sheet 2, shows in detail the slotted plates, band-cutter, and spring-holding ngers of the curved swinging arm. Fig. 5, Sheet 2, is an enlarged perspective view of the slotted twister detached from the binder.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several figures.

AThis invention has for its object the compressing and binding of grain into sheaves as fast as it iscut by the reaping-machine. The binding apparatus is designed to be attached to the draft-frame of the reaper, and insuch a relation to the drivers seat that the driver can control the binding apparatus with very little extra labor, and by the simple operation of a. lever.

To effect these objects my invention consists, first, in the employment of certain levers in conjunction with a curved vibrating arm and curved stationary bed for receiving and compressing the loose grain preparatory to the tying ot' the band around the sheat, as will be hereinafter described; secondly, in a peculiar arrangement of curved slotted holders and cutter for carrying the wire band, bringing the same in a proper relation with the twister, (retainingit during the operation of the twister,) and finally cutting the band and releasing the bound sheaf so as to allow it to fall from the machine, as will be hereinafter described.

To enable others skilled iu the art to make and use my invention, I will proceed to describe its construction and operation.

A is the usual draft-frame of a reaping-machine, supported on the wheels B B, and O is 'the driver-s seat which is su orted on frame A in the usual position for the drivers seat of a reaping-machine.

D is a curved arm, pivoted at a to a bifurcated lever, D', and again at a' to a long vibrating upright arm, D2, which latter is pivoted at a2 to one side ot` frame A. The bit'urcated lever D is pivoted at its lower end to the side of the drivers seat, and one arm of this lever extends up and forms a handle which is in a convenient position to the driver, who can perform the operation of binding the grain by simply giving a vibrating movement to this hand-lever.

Below the curved swinging arm D, and in or nearly in a vertical plane therewith, is ar ranged a curved bed, E, which is secured and properly braced at one end to the frame A of the rea-per. This curved bed E is intended to receive theloose grain from the platform of the reaper, and retain the sheaf until the binding operation is effected, and to this end this bed E has a curved tongue, E', projecting from its outer end, over which the loose grain described. l

Along` one side of the swinging end of the curved bar D is a curved toothed rack, c, the length of which is equal to the length ot' the slots in plates b b, and at or near the terminus of the upper end ot' this rack c is a knife, d, which nclines from this rack downward, as shown in Fig. 4 of the drawings.

At the extremeouter end of theswingingarm D, andpn each side of this arm, are two springfingers, e e, which are secured to a. spring, e', the lower end of which is bent at a right angle under the end of arm D, and projects forward a suitable distance to be acted upon bythe f2 maar? curved edge of a plate, FP, which is secured to` the lower side of bed Fnfand thrust this spring e outward, thereby pushing back the springingers e e immediately after these fingers have put the end of the wire which is carried by the arm D into the radial slotin the twister F. The twister F, which-twists the two ends of the wire band together after the bundle ot' grain has been sufficient-ly compressed, consists ofa toothed wheel, F, having its axial bearingsin the bed-plate E and the curved -thrusting-plate E2, as shown in Figs. l and 5 ofthe drawings. This wheel F has a radial slot, j", cut into it, extending from its axis to its circumference, said slot being of sufficient size to receive two wires to be twisted together, as will be further described hereinafter. This twister F is arranged on the outer end ofthe bed E in such a relation tothe curved rack c on the arm D that the teeth of this rack will engage with those of the twister F, and rotate the twister for the purpose of giving the tie-twist to the wire band while the band is drawn tightly around the bundle of grain.

G is a curved plate, which is secured at its forwardend to the extreme outer end ofthe curved bed E, and which extends from this point downward and backward, so as to leave a sufficient space between the bottom of plate E and this plate G to allow the curved plates b b tov pass down and present the band-wire to the twister F to be twisted together.

The band-carrying reel H consists of two circularv disks, q g', which are connected to a hubin the usual manner of constructing a reel or spo'ol. This reel is allowed to turn freely on its axis a when the arm D rises; but when the arm D commences its downward motion this reel is iixed to its axis and made to turn backward, as will be further described. Between the disks g g the wire which is used for binding the' grain is wound, and carried thence to the friction-rollen', down through the curved bed E, thence under this bed to the outside of and through a hole,y, in the plate Gr, and finally the end of this wire is held rmly between the slots b? b2 in curved plates b b, as shown in Fig.

' ll of the drawings `in red lines. The reel-disk g has a toothed wheel, k, secured to its outside surface concentrically with its axis; and between this disk g and the pivoted end ofthe swinging arm D is xed tothe pivot a a bent arm, J, which is actuated by the hand-lever D so as to cause a pin, j, on lever J to engage against the side of the long arm D2 when this a'rinis moved outward, engages the'to'oth or pin j with the ratchet-whe'el'k, and when the long arm D2 is moved backward or toward the driver the pawl-arm J disengages the tooth j from the ratchet-wheel 7c and allows the wire l to unwind from the reel. Besides tightening the band around the sheaf by giving the reel a backward rotation, as just described, it is further tightened in consequence ofthe reel being raised by the long arm l)2 as this arm describes its arc from the pivot a2 and thecurved arm advances to the twister F.

The operationof my invention is as follows: The band-wire (wire being used insteadof twinei which is represented in the drawings in red lines in Figs. 1 and 2, and in blue lines in Figs. 3, 4, and 5, .is wound upon the reel and carried from thence under the bed E toward the outer end of this bed and passed through plate Gr ata point which is coincident with the axis ofthe twister F. This band-wire is then attached to the slotted plates b b by passing the end of the wire through the slot b2 and twisting it into a knot so as to prevent the end of the wire from slipping through the slot again. The hand-lever D" is now` drawn inward or to` ward the driver by the driver, and the several parts of my improved binder assume the positions shown in Fig. 1,ready to receive the looes grain. The grain is now raked from the platform of the reaper (in any ot' the usual modes of raking grain from the platforms of reapers) against the slack wire, carrying with it the' slack wire into the curved bed E, and at the same operation drawing the wire through slot sides of this twister by spring-fingers e e. The

teeth of rack c now engage with the twister, rotate it, and cause it to twist the wire tightlyv around the bundle of confined grain. During this operation the arm D continues to descend, and the reel is caused to rotate backward, so

as to take up the slack wire, and thus draw the band tightly, in the manner described, around the sheaf. Immediately the fin'ge'rse e put the end of the wire into the slot fin twister F, and the twister begins to rotate, thes'etingers arethrustoutward in consequence of the arm e comingin contact with thecurved edge of plate E2, and thus allow the twisted wires between the plates Gr and E2 to pass between the slots in plates b b. The curved arin Y D s till further descends,twisting the wire, and compressing the sheaf until the knifeclsevers the twisted ends of the wire from the upper side of the twister, and thus releases thebo'un'd' sheaf from the machine. The arm D, after this operation, begins to ascend, and inthisreturn -stroke the twisted vend of the wire, which is left in the slot f of the twister, is pulled out'ot'this twister by the slotted pla-tes b b, and the twisted knot which is left on the end of the wire slips through therst slot, b2, l its equivalent for giving motion to the fastat the point b', and is caught between the two plates b b, where it is held in a position to be presented to the slotf in the twister in the next downward stroke of the arm D. It will be seen that the slotted plates b b and their spring-fingers e c hold the free cud of the wire firmly and draw out sufficient slack from the l reel to commence the operation of bindinof They then unite the ends of the wire in the slot in the twister, and tinally grasp the end of the wire again where it has been cut off to repeat the operation. The return-stroke of the curved arm D is effected by the driver, who draws the hand-lever D toward hun as soon as he finds that the knife l has severed the wires which connect the sheaf with the curved bed of the binder.

That I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A rack, c, in combination with arm D or ener, substantially as described.

2. The slotted wire-holder formed of bent plates b I), substantially as described.

3. The bearing e, or e and e', ior carrying the strand to thet'astenerand releasingthe strand, substantially as described.

4. The cutter attached to theconipressingarm D, and operating in combination with the fastener, substantially as described.

5. EtTecting the several operations of carrying the strand around the sheaf, drawing up the slack of' strand, forming` the fastening, and severing` the sheaf from the machine in the manner described by the action of the lever D', moved backward and forward, substantially as described.

SAMUEL JACOB WALLACE. Witnesses:

G. T. HUNsAoER, GEO. W. BATCHELDER. 

